must know that it is meere necessity that drives us we are by nature haters of God and cannot be brought to come to God in love before we perceive God to love us such is the malignant nature of man that if he could make any shift in the world hee would not bee beholding to God for helpe The prodigall sonne will never returne to his father so long as he can get cloaths for his backe and meate for his belly elsewhere but when he is brought to that passe that he would fain have filled his belly with husks which the swine did eate and no man gave unto him Luke 15.16 Then he is contented to thinke of submitting to his father but not before if he could have got a living by keeping of Hogs hee would not have returned Thus is it with man so long as he is in any hope to escape misery any other way there is no hope of his returning to God They that be whole need not the Physitian but they that are sick Mat. 9.12 The Pharisee thinketh himself able to establish his owne righteousnesse and therefore he will not submit to the righteousnesse of God Rom. 10.4 He cares not a pinne for Christ he is whole he cares not for the Physitian If any man will come after me let him deny himselfe and take up his crosse daily and follow me Luke 9.23 No man can follow Christ except he deny himselfe his own Righteousnesse and holinesse would you know a reason under the determinate counsell of God why the Publicans and Harlots received Christ but the holy Pharisees rejected him a true paterne of our dayes the Pharisees thought themselves able to stand upon their owne legs they were alive in their conceits and for them to heare of righteousnesse in another was too great a disparagement unto them and their holinesse when the publicans and strumpets being convinced of sinne and having no righteousnesse of their owne they are contented to accept it upon any terms A rich man he sometimes scorneth a gift and saith nay but I will buy it I will give satisfaction for it but the poor naked man is glad to receive what he wanteth Thus before the soule of man be brought to be reconciled unto God it is necessary that it see it selfe a sinfull creature yea so sinfull That neither crying nor howling can wash it away yea so sinfull that no correction or amendment of life is able to make satisfaction Thus farre of the antecedent conditions which as I said before are proper to all but not onely to them that are reconciled to God for these that I have shewed hitherto may be found in the not reconciled even as in the reconciled yea in the reprobate even as in the elect The second sort of conditions are present which go before reconciliation as the cause before the effect but is never separated from it as being the thing I say whereby the holy Spirit of God doth actually reconcile the soule to God Of this sort I finde but one only condition namely of faith or beleeving Here are two things to be pondered The first That without beleeving the soule remaining in the body cannot be reconciled unto God The second That by beleeving the soule is actually reconciled unto God For the first it is proved He that beleeveth not the Sonne shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him Iohn 3.36 To be reconciled to God is to see life therefore he that beleeveth not shall not be reconciled to God but the apprehension of the wrath of God shall torment his wakened conscience He that beleeveth not shall not see life he shall see nothing but wrath Secondly He that beleeveth not God hath made him a lyar 1 Iohn 5.10 That is hath accounted him a lyar Now who can finde in his heart to be reconciled to a lyar Wherby it is plain that without or before faith man cannot be reconciled unto God For the second that by beleeving the soule becomes to be reconsiled unto God is proved He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seale that God is true John 3.33 As many as received him to them he gave power to become the sonnes of God even to them that beleeve on his name Iohn 1.12 Whosoever beleeveth hath power to cry Abba Father And to this place we refer that knowne text Rom. 5.1 Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Iesus Christ And this is the proper office of faith as it justifieth to reconcile the soule and conscience unto God and to make us at peace with him by assuring us of his favour and good will towards us in Jesus Christ manifested in that God gave his only Sonne to be a propitiation for our sinnes and to satisfie whatsoever the justice of God required at his hands And this is our receiving of Christ our putting on of Christ and our living by faith if we take faith for beleeving And thus much of the second condition which is present Now followes the third sort of conditions which are consequent unto our reconciliation and things that accompany our salvation These conditions are first Ioy in the Holy Ghost Secondly Love to God and his Church Thirdly New obedience in newnesse of spirit and not in oldnesse of the letter First Ioy in the Holy Ghost is a necessary consequent and an inseparble companion to our reconciliation by faith as appears by that which hath been spoken before touching joying in beleeving with joy unspeakable and full of glory And indeed how can it be that it should be otherwise can the men of this world hear of great possessions fallen unto them without joyfulnesse How then is it possible that the children of the living God can come to the apprehension of the fatherly love of God in Christ but they must needs sing a new song yea break forth into singing and cry aloud with the blessed Virgin saying My soule doth magnifie the Lord and my spirit hath rejoyced in God my Saviour Luke 1.46 If I could this day bring you happy tydings of reconciliation betweene King and Parliament which the God of heaven effect what joy would this work in the hearts of every man here present How much more shall the tydings of eternall peace by Jesus Christ affect the soule with extraordinary comfort Here what the Lord speaks concerning the new Jerusalem God shal wipe away all teares from their eyes and there shall be no more death neither sorrow nor crying c. Rev. 21.4 Let others think what they will I firmely beleeve the new Ierusalem to be the glorious kingdome of Iesus Christ which is righteousnesse and peace and joy in the holy Ghost advanced in the conscience and hither also are to be referred those glorious things that are spoken of the City of our God by the Gospell Prophet in these words The ransomed of the Lord shall returne and come to Sion with songs and everlasting joy upon
might recompence the basenesse of her birth Look we at her beauty her native beauty is blood and pollution a deformed creature Her artificiall beauty neither washing nor swadling nor salting But peradventure what was lacking in birth and beauty might be supplied in riches and plenty for riches make many marriages let us survey her riches Behold in stead of an habitation Thou wast cast out in the open field In stead of rayment not wherewithall to buy her wedding garments ornaments nakednes even stark nakednesse I spread the skirt of my clothing over thee and covered thy nakednesse Here is a Spouse that hath not wherewithall to buy her a wedding garment O the depth of the riches of the mercy of God! Neither noble nor beautifull nor rich and yet the Lord hath set his love upon us Nay here is one thing exceedeth all this that hath been spoken So miserable was our condition that it hath cost the Lord a great dowry And the Lord must buy us unto himself not with silver or gold nor with 200. fore-skins of the Philistines but with the pretious blood of the Sonne of God I desire to leave you in admiration of this transcendent love and to passe unto the fourth Application to comfort the distressed soule Here are the queries of thy burdened soule answered What goodnesse must I find in me What conditions What qualifications before that I beleeve God to bee a father to mee in Christ What must I doe to bee saved Thou seest here the freenesse of Gods grace the glory of his reconciliation And I will bee bold to say unto thee as Moses speaketh unto Israel in another case Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord which he hath shewed you this day Exod. 14.13 Or as Iehaziel speaketh unto Iudah in another case Ye shall not need to fight in this battel set your selves stand yee still and see the salvation of the Lord with you O Iudah and Ierusalem 2 Chron. 20.17 What shall I doe to obtaine the favour of God I say beleeve him favourable unto thee freely for his own sake But here the poore soule will obiect and say Alas should I beleeve that have not one iot of goodnesse in me Nay more that have all manner of evill in me I answer Thou hast as much in thee as God requires at thy hands to precede his love to goe before his reconciliation If hee had said he could not love thee before such and such conditions then thou mightest have had cause to distrust his love But thou hast seen his love to man even dead in trespasses and sinnes He came to call sinners not righteous to repentance Come to him empty of all goodnesse and partake of his fulnesse come to him hungry and hee shall fill thee thirsty and hee shall satisfie thee O what iniury doe we unto the grace of God in that wee imagine God to bee like unto some niggardly man who will not bid us welcome to his house unlesse wee bring our cost with us The Lord lookes for nothing at our hands to obtain his favour come unto him naked and hee shall cloath thee But the poore soule will yet obiect further and say My case is yet worse then you perceive for I am not onely void of goodnesse I am not onely full of filthinesse and abomination but which is worst of all I cannot leave my sinnes I cannot forsake my whoredomes and drunkennesse How oft have I vowed How oft have I promised Yea how oft have I sworne to forsake my sinnes and yet all in vain I have returned with the Dogge to the vomit and with the washed Sow to wallow in the mire What say you to my case If I should now come unto Christ would he bid me welcome If I should beleeve God loving unto mee would it not be the greatest sinne unto me Must not I forsake and leave my sinnes before I beleeve Must not I cast out the rubbish out of my soule before Christ will love me Must I not first bee washed and cleansed before Christ will shew any favour unto me Although the answer to this obiection doe properly belong unto the second thing to be shewed namely mans reconciliation to God yet I will speak somthing And I desire thee to try one conclusion to come unto Christ first and leave thy sinnes afterward get power from him to forsake thine iniquities This is the reason why thy labour hath been in vaine because thou hast gone the wrong way to work that is to mortifie thy sin first and to come to Christ afterwards Now how is it possible thou shouldest mortifie thy sin before thou beleevest in his name when whatsoever is not of faith is sin Doest thou thinke to cast out rubbish without him Doest thou think to bind the strong man by thine own power Thou art deceived Wouldest thou mortifie thy sinne See the order of the holy Ghost Col. 3.5 Mortifie therefore your members which are upon the earth fornication c. Therefore wherefore see vers 1. if yee bee risen with Christ seek those things that are above First rise with Christ and then mortifie See the example of Mary who had seven divels in her shee doth not say If I could cast out my divels then I would come to Christ but shee commeth and bringeth her seven divels with her and the Lord casteth them our every one for her Doe thou likewise bring thy sinnes with thee and let him cast them out for thee If thou say if I were washed then I could beleeve then I could come boldly to him I ask thee who should wash thee I say come unto him foule and he shall make thee cleane Doth not hee call all that labour and are heavie laden Math. 11.28 the burden and load is sin He doth not say Lay downe your burden first and then come unto me but come unto me laden and I will give you rest But you will say is it not written that neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor effeminate persons c. shall inherit the kingdome of God 1 Cor. 6.9.10 Againe is it not written without holinesse no man shall see God Heb. 12.14 To see God and to inherite the kingdome of God are nothing else but to beleeve in God and his sonne Iesus Christ But this you see cannot bee without holinesse therefore I must have holines first before I can beleeve I answer the Text saith not to but without holinesse no man shall see God If I should say without eating and drinking no man can live wouldst thou presently conclude that I must eate and drinke before I be alive When sense will tell thee I must bee alive before I can eate and drinke Yet this is thy arguing Without holinesse no man shall see God therefore we must have holinesse before we can see God When it is evident we must see God before wee can have holinesse for Whatsoever is not of faith is sinne Rom. 14.23 But the meaning
grace Lord increase my faith and make my love and obedience my joy and peace to abound more and more through the spirit of our God and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ And thus have I now done with the Antecedent the present and consequent conditions of our reconciliation to God The next thing that I intend is to make Application It hath been hitherto mine endeavour to declare unto you the misterie of salvation and to imitate the skilfull Limbner to give unto every Limbe and part not onely his due proportion but also his due place and not to set the head where the foot should be or the foot where the head I may peradventure to many seem guilty of that crime which was laid against the Apostle to turne the world upside downe and to place that in the bottome which others make the top of the building and to set that upon the roofe which others lay for a foundation But I submit my selfe to the judgement of the word Consider we what hath been spoken of Gods reconciliation to us without all conditions of our reconciliation to God originall and actuall and now let us see if these dstinctions be founded as it is before proved upon the holy Scriptures of the Prophets and Apostles whether they bee not blame-worthy that make no difference at all between these two but confounding heaven and earth together the Creature with the Creator doe most absurdly apply those things which are antecedents or causes of our reconciliation unto God to be causes of Gods reconciliation unto us drawing a vaile before the free grace of God and keeping the soule from setling upon a sure foundation The Lord complained of the Prophets of old the false Prophets that they pudled the waters with their feet When water is pudled it is not water but water and dirt mingled together In a puddle no man can discern whether it be deep or shallow water is Doctrine pudling is confounding of things together without division or separation O that our dayes were free from this complaint O yee Pastours of the Lords flock that feed his heritage Be you contented to beare the word of admonition from the meanest of the servants of God Look back upon the waters that yee have made the heritage of the Lord to drink Consider the pastures which you have set before them have you not made the LORDS sheep become a prey sometimes to presumption sometimes to despaire by your Doctrine Have you not made the soules of the righteous sad and the soule of the wicked to rejoyce Consider your wayes I pray you Have you not many a time confounded the conditions of our reconciliation to God making that to be the case which is the effect and that to be the effect which is the cause Let me beseech you to weigh these things and to endeavour that your Doctrine may be the light of the World that it may be cleare as the Christall proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb Rev. 22.1 You sheep of the pasture of the Lord the God of his inheritance know it your duty aptly to distinguish these things in your owne Consciences that you may enjoy the brightnesse of the glory of the grace of God set up in your soules if you search into the reason of your many years bondage of your miserable doubting you shall finde your disease in that which hath been spoken and I hope the remedy also The Lord give you understanding The second Application may shew unto us the difference between the reconciled and the not reconciled Although both may bee objects of the grace of God both beloved of the everlasting Father yet shall you finde a vast difference if you look either upon their Conversations or their Consciences The difference of Conscience is the not reconciled have a defiled and polluted Conscience A Conscience that is either seared and fitted with Atheisticall carelesnesse or at the best sitting in darknesse and the shadow of death seeing no light Matth. 4.16 when as the consciences of the reconciled doe enjoy the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Secondly the conversation of the people not reconciled is either a conversation polluted with Pharisaicall righteousnesse and blind zeale for all zealous persons are not reconciled to God seeking to establish its owne righteousnesse in the sight of God or else a conversation according to the course of this world according to the Prince of the power of the ayre the spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience A conversation in the lusts of the flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind Eph. 2.2 3. The third Application sheweth us an open doore for the easie understanding and plaine reconciliation of many places of Scripture which seem so exceeding different as if no way of reconciling could be found Let us learne to distinguish when God speaketh of his reconciliation to us and when hee speaketh of our reconciliation to him Let us learn to distinguish between the thing and the manifestation of the thing the want of which distinction breedeth an horrible confusion in the interpretation of holy Scripture To give an instance it is written Galat. 3.26 Yee are all the Children of God by faith in Jesus Christ It is written again Gal. 4.6 Because yee are sonnes God hath sent forth the spirit of his sonne into your hearts crying Abba Father In this last place the Holy ghost declares son-ship to be the cause of giving the Spirit as also he declareth it to bee an eternall grace of God communicated unto his people Having predestinated us unto the Adoption of sonnes by Iesus Christ Eph. 1.5 But then if this be so how are we said to be sons of God by faith c I answer the one speaketh of the thing it selfe or of Gods reconciliation to us The other of the manifestation of the thing or our reconciliation to God Againe if the grace of adoption be an eternall grace how is it said wee are borne againe by the Word 1 Pet. 1.23 and begotten by the Word Iames 1.18 I answer these places are to be understood of the manifestation of Adoption not of the act of Adoption it selfe And that this is so is plaine God hath begotten us againe unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Iesus Christ from the dead 1 Pet. 1.3 A lively hope is the thing unto which we are begotten And that it is ordinary in Scripture to call the manifestation of things by the names of the things themselves will be plaine by two places I might bring two hundred the first is Ierem. 1.10 I have this day set thee over the nations and over the Kingdomes to root out to put downe and to destroy and to throw downe and to build and to plant How doth poore Jeremy destroy Nations Even by declaring the judgements of God in the overthrow of Nations And thus doth he plant by declaring the mercifull promises of God in the restauration of Nations The second place is Ioh. 20.23 Whose sins ye remit they are remitted and whose sins ye retaine they are retained How do the Apostles remit and retaine sinnes but by declaring Gods gracious remission to every one that beleeveth c. But some may object and say why doth not the Lord speak in plain terms I answer who art thou that wilt correct the Lord and teach him to speak I answer againe in our Saviours words when his Disciples ask the question Why speakest thou unto them in Parables Mat. 13.10 His answer is Because it is given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdome of God but to them it is not given As if he should have said in respect of you that are my people I need not to speak more plaine for you being taught of God are able to understand the misteries of the kingdom In respect of others I will not speak more plaine because to them it is not given to understand the mysteries of the kingdome Thus far for the application I now draw to an end only I will give you the Skeleto or Map of that which hath beene delivered in a few words Consider we the causes of Gods reconciliation as it stands manifested to us in Christ Secondly the causes of our reconciliation to God Gods reconciliation to us 1 Efficient Gods love 2 Materiall Christs righteousnesse 3 Formall Imputation of righteousnesse 4 Finall Gods glory mans salvation Our recodciliation to God Efficient Principall H. Ghost instrumen tall faith Materiall Christs righteousnesse Formal Apprehension of Christs righteousness by faith Finall Gods glory mans consolation Consider we the difference of these two in their causes The finall cause of Gods reconciliation to us is salvation the finall cause of our reconciliation to God is consolation The Lord fill you with his Spirit that the apprehension of Gods salvation may fill you with eternall consolation Amen FINIS
to come but also from everlasting age etnall in respect of that which is past Gods mercies are not onely without beginning but also without ending as it is so often repeated even 26 times Psal 136. his mercy endureth for ever This is it that is written by the prophet I the Lord I change not Therefore yee sonnes of Iacob are not consumed Mal. 3.6 Would you know the true reason why the sons of Iacob are nor consumed it is this I change not should the Lord change as often as we change should his love increase and decrease towards us as often as our love to him and obedience to his Maiesty ebbeth and floweth the Lord should be more variable then the wind more changeable then the Moon that the Lords love altereth not although it hath beene sufficiently proved by that which hath been spoken yet to the praise of the glory of his grace I will proceed to shew you by more restimonies that the Lord loveth all his elect with his great love even then when as they lie weltring in their sinnes transgressions Vnto this the Holy Ghost bears witnesse Rom. 5. verse 6. When we were yet without strength in due time Christ died for the ungodly For whó Christ died them the Father the Son loved but Christ died for the ungodly that were without strength Therefore such were undoubtedly beloved of God Lest wee should think the first of these propositions to be weake it is confirmed verse 8. God commendeth his love to us in that while we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us And very worthy of observation is that which is spoken verse 10 When we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Sonne Here we have more proved than I have yet undertaken for my task is to prove that God was reconciled to us whilst we were enemyes This text saith not onely so but that we were recontiled to God when we were enemies But of this more shall be spoken hereafter only for the present we disire to have it granted that when we were reconciled to God he was without all doubt reconciled to us for our reconciliation to him is not the cause of his reconciliation to us but contrary his reconciliation to us is the cause of our reconciliation to him Now let us see the argument once againe For whom Christ died those he loved But Christ died for vngodly for sinners for enemies Therefore hee loved ememies sinners ungodly And with such a love as is not onely verball but reall not in word but in deed in truth as doth already appeare by his death and will yet more plainly appeare those acts of love communicated unto us even when wee were in the state of vngodlinesse in the worst estate and condition Let us consider that place so full of the glory of God which is writen Ezek. 16.2.3 verses unto the 15. verse Thou wast cast out in the open field to the loathing of thy Person in the day that thou wast born And when I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thine own blood I said unto thee in thy blood yea I said unto thee in thy blood â—ive Why doth the Lord use this Insemination In thy blood In thy blood 〈◊〉 it not because he knoweth how hardly we are drawne to beleeve the glory of his grace and how ready we are to rob him of the honour of his infinite mercy The Lord doth as it were say I know you will wonder at this that I should say Live before you were washed salted or swadled while you were in your blood But I remember the act of my grace which passed upon you even in blood I he Lord loved us not because we were washed and cleansed but therefore he washed and cleansed us because he loved us See the freenes of Gods love God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten sonne that whosoever believeth on him shall not perish but have everlasting life Ioh. 3.16 This place is wel known unto you it may be here lies hid something which many of you never discovered namely that Christ given is the effect of Gods love not the cause And that the love of God goes before the gift of his son as the cause goeth before the effect He therefore gave his sonne because he loved If this seem strange that Gods love should be more ancient in order of causes then the gift of his sonne Because that in him God doth communicate all things unto us I answer that Christ is God manifested to him in the flesh 1 Tim 3.16 And that all the blessings of that love wherewith the Lord loved us eternally are manifested onely in Christ Iesus And in him they are fully manifested to have been for ever in the bosome of the Father So that for us to say or think that Christ purchased the love of the Father for us is that which I am confident the redeemer of the world will not chalenge unto himself But say as in another case it is not mine to give but it was given to them to whom it is given before the foundation of the world was laid This is all that I am able to speak unlesse it should be lawfull for me in so reverend a mystery to use a distinction and to consider in the love of God the original of his love and the continuation thereof and to say that the original of his love was before the gift of his sonne as the cause before the effect But that the continuation of love is to be referred unto the propriation of the redeemer as the effect of that sacrifice which he offered To speak plain Gods love was before the gift of his son as the cause before the effect But the continuation of that love that he should loveus for ever requires a foregoing propitiation satisfaction But when we shal say thus we fall into a depth unsearchable when we shall ask why the continuation of his love should rather require a foregoing propitiation then the originall setting of his love upon us I confesse I cannot tell what to say for to cleare this but tremble to speak of this glerious mystery And desire to refer my self to the iudgement of the spirituall who are able to iudge all things and to be instructed by them whether it be not safer to rest in that which was said before then with subtilty of distinctions to wade into the depth unsearchable We see the great love of God to us in our bloud how that he so loved us that he gave us his sonne I will now be bold to step a step higher if higher may be and to shew you that God did not onely love us in our bloud with his great love But that his love to us in our broud was as great as ever afterwards He loved us I say with as great love when we were in bloud and polltion as he did afterward when we were cleansed I know the Pharisee
this ceremony and another for that as though there were a mortall difference betweene them yea the difference so great that it is sometimes the greatest reason for one side to refuse this or that because the other useth it Now hee that shall search into the innermost secrets of these antagonists shall finde them that so eagerly differ about circumstance who could have beleeved it to agree in substance Like ships that sail in the sea a great way asunder yet all tending to one haven All tending to this end to win or obtaine the favour of an angry God This that hath beene spoken may prove a helpe to administer a spirit of discerning unto the simple in these distracted time wherein the Commonwealth is not more distracted than the Church Now among so many diversities of opinions how shall we know which is the old and the good way that we may walk in it One saith I am Christ another nay but I am Christ for thy direction search for that religion that abaseth man that giveth the glory of grace to God that propoundeth the free love of God in lesus Christ without mixture of any thing in the creature that is the true religion all the rest are false that is the true way and strait line all the rest are counterfeit and crooked This is the first application The second Application is to correct our idolatrous thoughts iudgements that vve have had of God What foolish fancies have possest our soules How often have we thought God to be like unto our selves How many times have wee imagined an angry God a wrath full Maiesty And sought to appease his indignation by fasting by praying by almes by teares and such like things O foolish man if his wrath should nor bee before appeased what creature could stand in his sight Doe wee not see when some Lion-like man is incensed the vvhole house trembles not one servant no not a son dares come into his presence before his wrath be over If we so feare the uniust vvrath of man how terrible would the iust vvrath of consuming fire bee what great presumption were it for the creature to come into his presence if his wrath were not appeased We complain of idolatry crept into our unhappy Nation We complain of bowing of cringing of crossing and many such fopperies Search we I beseech you if idolatry have not hitherto crept into your hearts if you have not set up a great idoll and bowed unto that image with all it vvorshippeth Learne to make clean the inside as vvell as the outside of the cup. Learn to banish out of the soule those foolish and vain conceits learn to see the glory of the face of God in Jesu and to worship him in spirit and in truth There cannot bee greater idolatry committed than to conceive a possibility of gaining the love and favour of God by vvorkes wrought in the creature This is as great an idoll as that which was set up in the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon sixtie cubits high Dan. 3. This is the Beast that hath made the whole earth to partake of her fornications The third Application is to stirre us up to admire the exceeding love of God and his wonderfull goodnesse Heare O heavens and give eare O earth vvhether ever the like grace were heard of since the mountaines were framed Who could have expected that the Lord should have been halfe so gracious Did vve ever imagine to heare such a voyce from heaven to earth so full of grace so full of glory Had the Lord propounded his love and reconciliation to us upon hard and difficult conditions yet if possible should not we have accounted it an happinesse for what would not the distressed soul have done vvitnesse the acts of our Forefathers for to have purchased remission and to have obtained the favour of God But see if any grace bee like to this grace The Lord calleth from heaven unto the sonnes of men by his Son Iesus saying O yee sons of men what could I have done or what could you have vvished me to doe more then I have done Behold I am friends with you I love you truly see have I not given you my Sonne And now I beseech you by my Son that you would bee reconciled unto me I am friends with you be you friends with me Did vve ever think to hear the God of Heaven to beseech and intreat us to bee reconciled unto God That man should intreat God to be reconciled vvas that vve might imagine but that vve should find God already reconciled and praying of man that he vvould bee reconciled this is grace beyond expression And as this sets forth the glorious grace of God so doth it aggravate our unthankfulnesse unto God if vve shall refuse his gracious offer If some poore and base man some notorious person had offended the Magistrates of this Citie vvhereby he had deserved severe punishment yet the Magistrates should send for this offendor and declare themselves satisfied and intreat him to shake hands with them If now this offendor should stubbornly refuse to bee reconciled to them whom hee had offended what should vvee thinke of such a person The case is ours it is wee that have offended God God hath not offended us yet now when the offended God shall declare his grace and send the ministery of reconciliation to us who were offendors if wee shall now refuse and turne away our eares and refuse to submit to his righteousnesse what ingratitude will this be That we may yet more admire the grace of our God the Lord is pleased to use familiar expressions to declare unto us that it pleased God to betroath unto himselfe a wife whom he would admit into so much favour as to call him Ishi my Husband Hosea 2.16 unto whom he would vouchsafe so much honour as to call her his Spouse his Love his Dove c. and to betroath her unto himself for ever Who is it unto whom the Lord vouchsafeth such grace What person is it whom the Lord vvill take to be his Spouse Was there ever such a thing as this heard That povertie should sue unto riches That deformity should sue unto beauty is no wonder But that a Mighty Rich Beautifull and Potent Prince should sue unto a poore old decrepit deformed diseased lowsie beggar what story can witnesse any such thing And with reverence and trembling be it spoken the mighty God of heaven betroaths unto himselfe and sweares unto vile poore deformed sinfull diseased loathsom man When man intendeth to take a companion of his love some aime at Nobility some at Beautie others at Riches these are the three load-stones that commonly attract the liking and love of man But it is not so with God Look we at the nobility of his Spouse at her parentage from whence she is descended Thy father was an Ammorite thy mother a Hittite she is base borne a daughter of whoredoms But it may bee beauty